Tri Ni Sette
by Phoenix Boy
Summary: As the Vongola fall seems inevitable, CEDEF prepare for the best and the worst


The chair by her bed was never empty. So his master had decreed, so it would be.

When Oregano retired to his bedchamber at midnight, Basil moved his papers down to the makeshift desk in the corner of the infirmary and took up the vigil. He kept working through sheer desperation: should his attention wander, he would spring to her side in an instant, holding her hand in an attempt to offer what little comfort he could.

He did not dare touch her, in fear of misplacing one of the myriad of sensors attached to her body. They had had to knock her senseless two days earlier, when the pain became too much for her, or any of them, to bear. The master had given the order himself, overseeing this as he had all aspects of her care.

She was quiet now and some craven part of him was glad of it, glad that he no longer had to listen to her agony. He could almost endure it when her body had the familiar cast of the Arcobaleno; now she simply appeared a young child, her body growing at a rate that shocked even the learned doctors who believed they had seen everything.

"How is she?"

Basil's hand was on his gun in an instant. When his brain, sluggish through too many nights of silent labour, caught up with his body, he looked up and managed a smile for his master. There was no need to ask why he was still up – to Basil's knowledge he hadn't retired to his bed in three days, running on a combination of determination and stimulants that would have a latter man

"The same, master," he said and uncurled his fingers from the trigger. They looked on her in silence for a long moment, seeing the mouth twist in pain in a way that she would never have been permitted when awake.

The master looked weary in a way beyond the mundane need for sleep. It was easy to see why: the curse of the Arcobaleno was the food for legend, one of the stories that the children in the orphanages whispered about after lights-out. The Arcobaleno kept their secrets, even CEDEF hadn't penetrated the veil. It was understandable, even justified, but hard for those they left behind.

They had always imagined her surviving their children as she had survived their parents, timeless and necessary as CEDEF's ultimate mission. Now they worried whether she would last the night. Bullets they could treat, and human sickness. Tri-ni-sette radiation was beyond their skill.

Iemitsu sighed and stepped back towards the door. "I have to get back to work. Look after her."

"As you command, master."

The door closed and the sheet of paper in Basil's hand crumpled as his hand clenched into a fist.

* * *

"The attack will come in four days time. Our orders are to disperse before then." Iemitsu's palms hit the polished wooden table with a thud. Even in these troubled times, his suit was as immaculate as if he were about to accompany the 9th to a diplomatic meeting, the only trace remaining of the peacock she had once trained. "Above all else, the family must survive."

Basil nodded, his face as serious as ever, twisting the rings on his fingers unconsciously. Putting the family first seemed to come as naturally to him as breathing but then it was all he'd known from his childhood onwards. He had no comprehension of a normal life, of the opportunity to choose a career.

Lal Mirch pulled her cape more closely around her and tucked her chin inside the collar, hiding her shivers beneath it. As soon as she set foot outside the shielded inner sanctum of CEDEF, her body would start to fail her. In mere days, she would be dead and the last of the Arcobaleno, the failure, would be gone. Death did not faze her but it was galling to leave so much undone.

"The others are leaving as we speak," Iemitsu continued. His voice was emotionless, as though he were talking about strangers and not his closest colleagues and family. "They are going to ground, ready to be recalled when the danger is past. Basil, you will retrieve my wife. Between us, we will ensure her safety - Tsuna will need to know she is safe if he's to focus and keeping us out of the main battles makes it less likely that our knowledge will fall into enemy hands. Should the 9th be killed in this attack, the Vongola family is in my hands until the 10th returns to Italy. Lal Mirch..."

She raised a palm and he fell silent. "I want to take down Gingerbread down before I die."

"Who said anything about dying? The 10th has been constructing a shielded base at a location in Japan. You are to take the latest data to him and offer any assistance that may become necessary. According to my calculations, you should have time to reach there in safety."

"Sending me to safety with the rest of the women and children?" she asked, resigned. It wouldn't be the first time. Colonello had tried that too and Reborn, one memorable time. In the long run, it had helped no one.

Iemitsu rose and moved to the window, leaning on the sill as though staring out. It was more habit than anything else. The lead shutters were locked shut and had been for months.

"One of my operatives has sent word that Irie Shouichi has been assigned to the Millefiore's Japan base. The Vongola hunt is intensifying there. It's not even certain that there will still be anyone there for you to report to. You are the best I can spare to boost their strength."

She could feel the radiation seeping through her skin already and shuddered. "Mission accepted."

Some of the tension left Iemitsu's shoulders and he turned back.

"Should the Japan base have been destroyed, you're free to follow your conscience. Take down as many of the bastards as you can before you fall. Basil, if I'm dead when you return, join up with the Varia and try and stay alive. I've invested too much time in you for you to keel over now."

"Understood, master."

"Basil, for now you will remain with me. Lal Mirch, you fly from Ciampino at dawn tomorrow. An operative will contact you there to relay exact transport information. Good luck."

It had been a long time since she left the military but she snapped a salute as she left. She pushed Basil out in front of her. As she looked back, Iemitsu's head dropped into his hands.

* * *

The Millefiore looked more like an army than a Family when they smashed down the gates to the Vongola property, lines stretching back halfway up the hill behind them. Iemitsu watched through his binoculars, lying flat on the roof with the dew soaking through the thin jacket of his suit. There went his dry cleaning budget for the month. He'd be lucky if he didn't have to replace the suit entirely.

The enemy had arrived sooner than anticipated and it had been a rushed job to get Iemitsu and his aide up into hiding. He had given the child his waterproof and cursed himself for not grabbing a second as they were rushed out their rooms.

As the gates fell, a motorbike appeared on the hill behind the enemy and left a dust-trail towards the city. It passed out of sight and Iemitsu abandoned the binoculars, flicking on radio to a wave of static.

"Rider clear," he reported, maintaining his position. "The enemy have reached the gates."

A crackle.

"Understood. Stay safe, my Lion."

The 9th disconnected before he could respond. It was a moot point anyway: this captain planned to go down with his ship rather than taking the last lifeboat. Iemitsu had drawn up the plans himself. He knew exactly how few of the Vongola were left in their ancestral home. Ten of them. Ten, against hundreds. It was a suicide mission. Even given that, Iemitsu couldn't deny that, without the explicit orders he'd been given, he'd be down there with them rather than hiding.

Up on the roof, like a particularly unfortunate gargoyle, he watched unseen as the 9th walked down the drive to meet them. In his dark suit, he was a sober contrast the flamboyant figure of the Millefiore general, with his cloak flaring about him. He was flanked only by two others, two of his three remaining Guardians. They were none of them as young as they used to be, a clear contrast to the Millefiore upstarts.

There was a pause while words were exchanged, then the Millefiore spun on his heels and was swallowed into the army.

Iemitsu pulled Paprika tightly to his side as the gunfire started. Though his hands were trembling, though he longed either to reach for his gun or to hide from the slaughter, he watched with dry eyes as the 9th faltered in his stride.

Swayed.

Fell.

"Master?"

"Shh, Paprika," he said, pulling the coat back up over the pale face. Safety aside, this was not something for a child to see. "Our mission is to hide until it's quiet."

Down below them the hordes flooded into the mansion. It was almost a relief not to watch them kill the remainder of those sheltering aside or to see the priceless paintings wrecked by grunts overtaken by their battle-fever. In a few hours, it would be over and they would be able to climb back down the ladder concealed in the chimney and slip out to safety. Until then, they would wait.

His shirt was clutched in tight fists, the small body trembling beside him. Iemitsu pulled out the last chocolate bar, kept there as a treat to reward for a tired aide kept up past their bedtime.

"Here, kid," he said, and slipped it down to her. "You're doing well. You're doing very well."

Until they could go on, he'd be strong for the both of them. Basil was safe. Lal Mirch was safe.

He would trust Tsuna to give them all a future.


End file.
